Shloka 8

Devanagari script

जायन्ते लक्षणभ्रष्टा दरिद्राः पुरुषाधमाः / ततो निष्कलुषीभूता कुले महति योगिनः

Transliteration

jāyante lakṣaṇabhraṣṭā daridrāḥ puruṣādhamāḥ / tato niṣkaluṣībhūtā kule mahati yoginaḥ

Translation

They are born bereft of auspicious marks—poor and base among men; thereafter, when freed from defilement, they are born in a great lineage as yogins.

Word by Word

• जायन्ते: are born
• जायन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• लक्षणभ्रष्टाः: devoid of auspicious marks
• लक्षणभ्रष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + भ्रष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘लक्षणैः भ्रष्टाः’/‘लक्षणस्य भ्रष्टाः’)

• दरिद्राः: poor
• दरिद्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दरिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पुरुषाधमाः: base men/wretched persons
• पुरुषाधमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (‘अधमाः पुरुषाः’)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb) ‘thereafter/from that’

• निष्कलुषीभूताः: having become purified
• निष्कलुषीभूताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + कलुष (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (धातु)
• Form: भूत-कालिक क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘भूत’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘निष्कलुषी-भूत’ = become free from impurity

• कुले: in a family/lineage
• कुले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• महति: great/noble
• महति: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कुले’ इति विशेषणम्

• योगिनः: yogis/ascetics
• योगिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic residues can yield low births, yet through exhaustion/purification of defilement one may later attain higher birth conducive to yoga.

Vedantic Theme: Gradual purification (citta-śuddhi) across lives; saṃsāra as a field for eventual sattva-rise and spiritual aptitude.

Application: Do not despair at adversity; pursue purification through ethical living, self-discipline, satsanga, and contemplative practice to transform tendencies.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.104 (sequence from papa-phala to improved rebirth outcomes)

FAQs

What is the importance of karma and rebirth in Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights karmic sequencing: adverse births (poverty, loss of auspicious qualities) can be followed by purification and a higher spiritual birth, showing karma’s long arc across lives.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It presents a progression where the jīva undergoes difficult embodiments that exhaust impurities, and then—once cleansed—attains a more spiritually conducive birth in an eminent family as a yogic aspirant.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat hardship as a call to ethical living, discipline, and inner purification; cultivate yoga, dharma, and self-restraint so future outcomes incline toward clarity and spiritual growth.